I have been through the heat and ash of Death Valley, seen the trees of Joshua, Crossed the sands of Mojave, entered the promised land of Zion, photographed the Hoodoos of Bryce; Climbed the staircase of the Grand Escalate; Seen the towering walls of Capitol Reef and captured the Arches of red stone. Today I caught the dawn mist of the Salt River and the towering peaks of the Tetons at dusk and soon I will be at Yellowstone. Bison, Elk and deer seen grazing, squirrels pose for photos as if they know you. Crows and eagles and birds of all types and colors sing songs of courtship to each other and because I hear their call my heart swoons too.
This trip is a lesson in greatness. NO, not mine but America's, I have seen the overwhelming grandeur of our nation in it's parks and the scenic byways between them, nothing in all my travels compares to the spectacle. It's as if suddenly everything has meaning, everything is as it should be, there is nothing to gain that is not already available and there is nothing to loose that is necessary to keep. Seeing nature in this scale and abundance gives life focus. It is the clarity of pine scented fresh air and the sureness in will of rock and stone layered in all the colors of the rainbow forged in the folding crust of the shell we call Earth. I try to think of how it has changed me, I wonder if my life will ever be the same again. I hope not, I don't wish to hold to the small minded ways of my former self.
I have used up my knees climbing up and down mountains (they are being ices as I write this), My back is stiff from sleeping nights under the stars in the back of my Subaru, muscles ache with overuse and I can't remember when I have done so much in such a condensed and daily activity regimen. I could do it all again... and I will.
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